Iam Tandem
by TMBlue
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione are faced with the decisions they have made and the task that is ahead of them. They take off on their last great adventure to save the world.


**Iam Tandem**

**Chapter 1 – Ventulus**

Harry stood by the lake, a breeze blowing through the trees on either side of him, but he couldn't feel it, even though he could hear it and nearly taste it, something just out of his reach. It couldn't quite get through his skin, and his skin was numb. The final day had arrived - August 31. Harry had been holding his breath, but he finally had to breathe again and pick up his feet, one in front of the other, and it was the most difficult thing imaginable.

In the distance, through the roaring of his own thoughts, Harry heard footsteps slowly approaching him from behind. He should have been on his guard, he heard Hermione scolding in his head as he stayed with his back towards the sound for a moment longer than was smart, even though he felt certain now that he would be able to tell the difference between the approaching presence of a close friend and that of a Death Eater... or worse. He turned slowly at last and stared across the deep green grass as Arthur Weasley approached him, his hands in his pockets and his face drawn and tired, a look that had been present since the summer began, perhaps sooner than that. Mr. Weasley stopped short and stood under the shade of a large tree a few yards off from Harry, his eyes half-closed and lowered against the glare of the sun reflected off the lake in front of him.

Finally, after a long breath and drawn out pause, Mr. Weasley turned his eyes up to Harry's and spoke softly.

"Harry, I know you don't need to hear me tell you to be careful this year. I'm sure you have heard those words enough times to last twenty lifetimes." Mr. Weasley stepped slowly closer to Harry and stopped a few feet away, continuing, but changing his voice slightly to one not quite so far away and dreary. "We, the Order and myself, can't thank you enough for allowing us the use of Grimmauld Place while you are away at school, though I'm afraid we will have to decline the offer."

Harry nodded and spoke after a moment's pause, giving Mr. Weasley time to say anything else as he still seemed to have a lot on his mind.

"I figured as much. Tonks informed me that with my decision to make Ron the Secret Keeper, it would be much easier to find a more secure location, one that could not be traced back to us so easily and one that wouldn't endanger him or me any more than necessary."

Mr. Weasley nodded, but it seemed as if speaking about the Order at all was fairly useless. Everyone knew that the resistance was much too small to pose any serious threat to Voldemort and his vast army which had now risen out of nowhere like a switch had been flicked inside a quarter of the wizarding community.

"Harry, I didn't come down here to discuss the Order or to dance around things that we have all been thinking, knowing for some time. I don't want to give you the impression that I consider you still a child. I know that with the way that the Ministry chose to handle everything... well, I just know how it feels to be told you are wrong, that what you know to be true isn't true and you are foolish for thinking such things." Mr. Weasley paused and Harry knew he was reflecting on his experience at the beginning of the summer. Mr. Weasley had been fired from the Ministry under suspicion when he had tried to convince the Minister and anyone who would listen that spies for Voldemort were at that moment working within the Ministry itself, plotting a take over and relaying information back to their Lord all while the Minister sat back, feeling as though he was safe in his cocoon down in the Ministry, behind the walls that could certainly not protect him. Mr. Weasley was asked to step aside, but upon his continued efforts to uncover the culprits of some recent confidentiality breeches within his department, he was quietly removed of his duties and listed as "under suspicion", which meant that Ministry officials now had word out to forcibly remove him if he tried to get into the premises again. His suspension was indefinite, and he traced it back to a co-worker, Milton Rochester, who he was nearly 100 percent sure was one of Voldemort's spies. Milton had threatened Mr. Weasley on several counts, and the sudden announcement about Mr. Weasley's suspicion coupled with the look of glee on Milton's face upon hearing that Mr. Weasley was indeed being sacked, added up to blackmail which Mr. Weasley was so far from proving that he might as well be trying to convince the Minister that Muggles have got it all right and to abandon magic in favor of their practices immediately.

Mr. Weasley sighed, but continued speaking softly.

"Harry..." but before he could get another word out, his eyes began to water, and he reached out, pulling Harry into a strong hug which Harry returned just as fervently. Mr. Weasley had become like a father to him, and he respected this man more than almost anyone he had ever met. Mr. Weasley at last pulled away from Harry at the sound of footsteps once again coming down the grass towards the lake. Harry glanced over Mr. Weasley's shoulder to see Ron's red head bouncing up and down as he came down the slope. "Harry," he said quickly. "You have my support. Take care of yourself... and Ron and Hermione. You three need each other now more than ever." He paused for a moment to turn and see whose feet were creating the soft thuds behind him, but he whispered one last thing before walking away, one last thing that made Harry stare after him in confusion as he headed back up the slope. "I understand."

Could Mr. Weasley somehow know what they were planning? Ron, Harry, and Hermione had taken special care to hide what they were doing during their days and nights in the Burrow this summer studying and practicing for their year to come. They had decided together to return to Hogwarts for several reasons. They needed the resource of the library where the three of them could pour over the books in the restricted section with the aid of Harry's faithful invisibility cloak, they needed to find several things that once belonged to the founders of Hogwarts and what better place to start than Hogwarts itself, and they also wanted to keep the cover of school to hide their secrets. If word got out that they hadn't returned to Hogwarts, it might look suspicious, and it certainly would travel fast. But they would find and destroy the Horcruxes, and Voldemort when the time came, no matter what the cost.

They had all silently given their lives for the cause, knowing that they could die during their pursuit, but knowing that if they did, it would be to save everyone else, if they succeeded. But could Mr. Weasley have somehow discovered their secret? If he had, he certainly wasn't trying to stop them, and Harry knew that he would be the best person in the world at keeping such a thing completely hidden from everyone, even his own wife if it would protect her and if it would benefit Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Ron now stood in front of Harry, his eyes distant, but there was something else. He was blushing, embarrassed, not looking up to meet Harry's eyes. He was nervous about something, even shaking a little, his hands in his pockets and his eyes turning towards his shoes as he opened his mouth as if to speak. No words came out, but he appeared to be trying his best to make words form and leave the safety of his lips.

Harry tilted his head, not so much worried as curious.

"What is it, Ron?" he asked slowly, and Ron shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next.

"There's something I have to tell you, Harry. I'm not sure what's possessing me to out myself here... but whatever it is, it's doing a damn good job because I feel like I have to tell you before we leave so here I go..." All of this was said very quickly, but Harry managed to catch all of Ron's words.

"Go on," Harry said encouragingly, now so curious that he could hardly stand it.

"Harry... I..." Ron started...

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Sorry for ending the chapter with such suspense : )_

_Each of my chapter titles, as well as the story title, are Latin phrases or words. I will be putting the definition here in my Author's note for each chapter._

_"Iam Tandem", the title of the story, means "in the end". _

_"Ventulus" means "breeze" in Latin._


End file.
